Report: Doug Morris' Move To Sony Has Been Delayed

February 28, 2011 at 4:14 AM (PT)

The expected move of UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Chairman DOUG MORRIS to SONY MUSIC reportedly has been pushed back to later this year. BRITAIN's TELEGRAPH writes, "Following weeks of intense negotiations between UNIVERSAL and SONY, the 72 -year-old will have to wait until the second half of this year before he can take up his new post. He had wanted to join SONY in APRIL. This will leave SONY MUSIC without a leader for at least three months. ROLF SCHMIDT HOLTZ, SONY MUSIC's current chief executive, sees his contract come to an end on MARCH 31st."

ALL ACCESS reported in DECEMBER of last year (NET NEWS 12/8/2010) that MORRIS was talking to SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT about taking the reins there.

More recently (NET NEWS 2/7) it was reported that the negotiations to bring MORRIS to MADISON AVE. had run into problems.

Now, the TELEGRAPH quotes sources familiar with the situation, saying "an announcement on the timing of MORRIS's departure will come very shortly, with the expectation that he will be able to start at SONY between JULY and SEPTEMBER. His move to leave VIVENDI-owned UNIVERSAL came as a shock to senior executives at the group. Sources said the expectation was that MORRIS would retire from UNIVERSAL in 2013, rather than take on another high-profile position in the industry."